About

MkeKitchen is home to MkeLocalicious and other businesses who need a commercial kitchen to produce fabulous eats from! The kitchen took over a year to build and it is equipped with: two – twelve foot hoods, two – 6 burner stoves – one under each hood – a 36 ” charbroiler, a 40 gallon tilt braising pan, a 30 gallon dbl jacketed steam kettle, and a double stack bank of convection ovens. There are two prep sinks, 4 hand washing sinks, a dishwasher and garbage disposal – although as we are a mindful kitchen, we make composting easy for you. We are located just 2 blocks from a Kompost Kids composting site

Like MkeLocalicious – “Catering Delicious Food with Local Flair” this kitchen is very community minded. Plans are in the works to partner with neighborhood groups and non-profits interested in teaching how food and health are interwoven!

About Kathy

Kathy Papineau – Owner of MkeLocalicious, llc began cooking at age ten and by the time she was babysitting, she was scouring clients’ magazines for recipes to try out on her parents and five siblings. In college, she was known for rolling a pie crust with a champagne bottle and learned the fine art of eating healthy on a budget – making things from scratch and using whole foods rather than processed. As a local foods chefalist, she has a reputation for paring unusual combinations of foods and flavors – using as many local foods as creatively possible.

As a kid, Papineau’s dad was a man who loved to eat, and the food loved his waistline. Obesity, high blood pressure, and fears of diabetes were evident in the types of meals the family ate. Flash forward 25 years, a fabulous niece, who has an extra chromosome, (Down Syndrome) was born. From there Papineau’s sister began to educate the entire family about organic and non-inflammatory foods. Much of Papineau’s mission today focuses on eating real food! She works with local non-profits such as The Victory Garden Initiative, We Grow Greens and the Urban Ecology Center to assure that it’s not only healthy food that she’s selling, but that she’s also giving back to the community and educating others with her knowledge!

In 2012, with the help of her family, Papineau began investing money in building out her own 1,100 sq ft. commercial kitchen, MkeKitchen. This kitchen is for cooking, community and classes. The handsome investment was was a result of learning that 30% of our food grown locally is plowed under, and one of a handful of reasons for this, is the lack of food processing facilities .In late 2013 her kitchen opened and within one month two small businesses were subletting kitchen space from her. Within six months, one of these businesses signed a contract to supply Whole Foods with product! Papineau also uses this kitchen as a home to her food truck, Soup in a Jar. She prepares soups with local ingredients that are served hot in mason jars! It’s the body, the mind and the earth that don’t need pollutants!

Papineau recently moved from Shorewood to Riverwest to a home and yard that currently is growing blackberries, blueberries, currants and kiwi. This new move puts her only minutes away from MKE Kitchen. Her three teenage children, cat, and soulmate, Henry the old English Sheepdog, live with her. Her kitchen is less than a mile away. In her spare time, she gardens, swims and bikes!